Martin has always drawn and painted from childhood to the present.
After studying Industrial design at Leicester Polytechnic he has had a varied career as a commercial artist in different environments. First working on wallpaper and textile designs. He was a photographic re-toucher and artist in National press. He freelanced in advertising as a story-board artist and illustrator then ran his own Creative Services studio in London for 15 years. He has produced creative products for manufacturers in Germany and China.
Martin’s inspiration comes mainly from nature. He has a great passion for the countryside and all that is found there. In addition to landscape painting he also draws and paints wildlife subjects.
He finds there are infinite things to stimulate an idea for a painting.
In particular ‘light’ and how it affects everything, altering colours and most importantly giving an overall ‘mood’. He paints some subjects more than once, perhaps at a different time of the year, or time of day.
Martin paints in both oils & watercolour, the enjoyment is equal for him. The process of ‘making a picture’ by drawing and painting has always given him pleasure. Just recently he has started to produce Lino-cut prints as an added spectrum to his portfolio.
Nicky’s work is essentially optimistic; whether she is painting flowers or the sea, the emotions she aims to portray are hope and happiness. She is particularly inspired by the trees, big skies and hardy heathland flowers of the countryside around her home, and tries to capture a sense of air and movement as she paints.
Nicky originally trained as a designer (BA Hons Fashion, Central St Martins 1993) and the influence of her love of textiles can be seen in her use of colour, texture and pattern.
Her other interest is a life drawing. All her figurative work is in mixed media, either quick, gestural drawings or multi-layered collages when time allows. She exhibits in galleries and art fairs across the UK and in Europe.
Caroline paints in oil and acrylic, often in combination with collaged pre-prepared or found papers. Colour is her main area of interest, and she is continually fascinated by how small shifts of saturation or hue can create a sense of light and space.
Her works focuses, as much on the background space as on the object itself, looking for the visual tension in the relationship between figure and ground, dark and light, positive and negative.
Alison is an amateur artist based in the Surrey Hills. Having dabbled with painting for many years she has only recently found the time to be more creative. Working mainly in oils on plain and textured surfaces, she
takes inspiration from her surroundings, family and friends.
She has exhibited at AppArt and participated in the Surrey Artists Open Studios scheme for the past three years.
Gemma is originally from Barcelona, and is there where she studied art and where she started working on her paintings. Subsequently, she finished her studies in Florence and now is currently based in London.
All the places she has been and lived have definitely influenced her way of painting and palette of colours. Starting in Barcelona with Mediterranean blue and ochre tones, Tuscany and Venice, with tan colours and warm atmosphere, Morocco with strong reds and well contrasted lights, and London, with misty skies and subtle light.
Gemma mainly paints urban landscapes of these places, although frequently are not any specific place but a memory of colours, light, buildings... She normally works with oil and likes to experiment with different textures mixing oil paint with sand or different mediums.
As well as painting and occasionally printmaking, David continues to pursue his life-long interest in photography, dating back to snaps taken on his Box Brownie.
Now in possession of more sophisticated equipment he continues to document the world around him, particularly when on his travels.
Resisting the digital revolution for some years, David eventually succumbed, reluctantly putting aside his medium format Fuji and Leica 35mm for a Nikon digital. However, the photographs David has chosen to exhibit were not shot digitally, but on colour film using the Fuji medium format camera and hand-printed as C Type prints. They were taken on trips around the South Western States of the USA, notably Arizona and New Mexico.
Cars are a rich source for subjects here, as the dry climate prolongs the life a vehicle meaning older models last much longer. This, and the relatively simple pre-computer engine mechanics means that owners can tinker around in their back yards and keep them running well beyond their years.
David is equally interested in the location of the chosen subject rather than a straight documentation of the vehicle itself. This means that often, the whole car or in some cases, bus, is not included in the frame, bringing in other elements that place the subject in its environment.
For David, photography can be summed up in a quote from photographer Ernst Haas. “ There is only you and your camera, the limitations in your photography are in yourself, for what you see is what you are.”
Brief Description:
Brian produces many original pieces of art in his studio in Epsom, including seascapes, landscapes and modern art.
Statement / Description / Article:
Brian Clarke spent most of his working life as a Graphic Designer, he was a director of two studios one in London and one in Bristol both of which supplied amongst other things advertising, packaging, typesetting and printing to large corporate companies. He has painted for pleasure throughout his life using various mediums, however he now devotes most of his time to painting in oils. Brian initially enhanced his skills by reproducing old masters such as Turner, Constable, and Monet which proved to be an excellent teaching aid.
Since developing his skills in oils Brian has gone on to produce many original pieces of art in his studio in Epsom, including seascapes, landscapes and modern art. Brian trusts you will enjoy viewing his paintings at the Guildford Arts exhibition and in future exhibitions he may hold or enter.
